Aircraft gas turbine engines generally include a low pressure spool assembly having a fan rotor, low pressure compressor and a low pressure turbine connected by a low pressure spool shaft, and a high pressure spool assembly having a high pressure compressor and a high pressure turbine connected by a hollow high pressure spool shaft disposed coaxially around the low pressure spool shaft. Conventionally, the fan rotor is connected to the low pressure spool shaft by a plurality of mounting bolts engaged with nuts, which may be pre-installed in respective mounting holes drilled in the low pressure spool shaft, such as in a conventional application of clinch nuts. Replacement of the clinch nuts during a maintenance service, involves drilling out the clinch nuts in order to remove them from the low pressure spool shaft and then re-rolling or flaring new clinch nuts in the holes of the low pressure spool shaft. Both operations could potentially damage the low pressure spool shaft which is an important and expensive component of the gas turbine engine.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide an improved joint apparatus for connecting the fan rotor to the low pressure spool shaft of aircraft gas turbine engines.